Cluster type edge rolling mill



1956 J. A. HENRICKSON CLUSTER TYPE EDGE ROLLING MILL 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 15, 1952 g it ITLUGZZZOT. Jam/4. Have/060m, Mal/j Aw Oct. 23, 1956- J. A. HENRICKSON 2,767,602 I cLU sTER TYPE EDGE ROLLING} my;

Filed March 13, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 1956 J. A. HENRICKSO'N- 2,767,602

CLUSTER TYPE EDGE ROLLING MILL Filed uai'ch 15, 1952 Inventor: JOHN 0. /v2/cK50/v,

ilnited States Patent CLUSTER TYPE EDGE ROLLING MILL John A. Henrickson, Holden, Mass, assignor to United tates Steel Corporation, a corporation of New Jersey Application March 13, 1952, Serial No. 276,305 2 (,laims. (Cl. 80-38) This invention relates to rolling mills and more particularly to an improved cluster type mill for edge rolling moving strip.

During the surface rolling of fiat metal products such as steel strip through most types of hot or cold mills, some distortion or increase in width occurs as the material is being rolled. When it is desired to accurately control the width of the strip being processed or to form a particular shape edge on the strip it is edge rolled as it enters or emerges from the surface rolling mill.

Up to the time of my invention conventional edge rolling equipment consisted essentially of a roll housing installed at the entrance or exit, end of the surface rolling mill and two work rolls which were rotatably disposed in the housing with their axes vertically normal to the horizontal plane in which. the strip moved. The work rolls were properly grooved to effect the desired shape on the edges of the strip. Ball, roller or babbit hearings were used around the roll necks to absorb the rolling pressures. This type of equipment was not fully adequate to produce the accuracy desired in width and edge control. quently inaccurate widths. and misshapened edges were rolled and production interrupted when the neck bearings became overheated and required replacement. The down time that resulted from the. frequent failures caused considerable loss of production and increased operating costs excessively.

It is Well known that pressures encountered for a given reduction in width during edge rolling increase as the work roll diameter is increased, so that it is most practical to use as small a work roll diameter as possible to effect the greatest reduction with I e least roll bearing pressure. However, in edge rolling equipment of the type used heretofore small roll diameters would have necessarily meant smaller roll necks and smaller bearings on these roll necks to absorb roll pressures or more firequent bearing failures would have resulted.

In order to realize maximum reduction with roll pressure and uniform distribution of the rolling pressure over an area many times the bearing surface which could heretoiore be provided on the work-roll necks alone, I propose the use of relatively large diameter anti-triction bearings to back up relatively small diameter work rolls, thereby achieving the benefits of small Work roll diameters without the attendant disadvantages cited above.

It is accordingly an object of my invention to provide an improved edge rolling mill wherein work rolls of relatively. small diameter are backed. up by at least two relatively large diameter back-up rolls which are in the form of anti-friction bearings;

It is a further object of my invention to provide a cluster type edge rolling mill which is easily and readily adjustable to edge roll moving strips of various Widths; and

It is still another object of my invention to provide a cluster type edge rolling mill wherein the work rolls are so arranged as to be speedily changed with a minimum of effort.

, 2,767,602 Patented Oct 23, 1956.

These and other objects will become more apparent after referring to the following specification and attached drawings, in which:

Figure 1- is a top plan view;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line III-I-II of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line IVIV of Figure 2; and

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line V'-V of Figure 2'.

Referring. more particularly tothe drawings, reference numeral 2 indicates the base member of my apparatus which is provided with two up-turned. sides 4 and an upwardly projecting guide flange 6, having a hole '8 therethrough, adjacent one end intermediate the up-turned sides. Each of the upturned sides is provided with a longitudinal slot 10 on the inner surface extending 'along its length. A housing, which I have designated generally by the reference numeral 12, is slidably mounted on the base member 2 and is shaped with a bottom 14' and two side walls 16 which extend vertically upwardly from two edges of the bottom. A pair of elongated cleats 18 are fastened to the underside of the housing along the two longitudinal edges thereof by means of screws 20. The cleats 18 project into the longitudinal slots 19 of the base to hold the housing in position and guide it when it is moved along the base as will be described below. A flange 22, which as a threaded opening 24 therethrough, depends from approximately the midsection of the bottom of the housing with the threaded opening 24 in alignment with the opening 8 of the guide flange 6. Guide flange 6' and flange 22 cooperate with an adjusting screw 26 to move the housing along the base 2. Screw 26 has a threaded end portion 28 which is threaded through the opening 24' of flange 22. The other end of'screw 26 is rotatably supported by the guide flange 6 and projects outwardly therefrom. A circumferential enlargement 30 is provided on the adjusting, screw adjacent the inner surface of the guide flange 6 and a retaining collar 32 is provided adjacent the. outer surfiace for the purpose of preventing longitudinal movement of the screw when it is being rotated. A hearing 33 is fitted in the opening of on the line II-II guide flange 6 to fiacilitate the rotation of the screw 26. A screw operating knob 34 is attached on the projecting end of the screw in order that it may be easily rotated. Rotation of the screw 26 functions to move the housing relative to the base member.

A longitudinal groove 36 extends along the inner surface of each of the walls 16 to provide slideways for roll assemblies which will be described in detail hereinafiter. A pair of aligned cut-out openings 33 are provided in the side walls 16 for the passage of strip W through the housing. End plates 40 and 42 are affixed to the ends of the housing to enclose the space between the side walls 16, as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 4. End plate 40 is provided with an opening 44 immediately above the bottom of the housing. A hearing bracket 46 having a hole 4-8 therethrough projects upwardly from the bottom of the. housing spaced from end plate 41') with its hole 48 in alignment with the opening 44. End plate 42 is provided with a threaded center opening 50. The purposes of "the bracket 46 and the openings in the end plates will become apparent as the description progresses.

A pair of oppositely disposed roll assemblies 52 and 54 are slidably mounted within the housing 12 with a space designated as X therebetween. As best seen in Figures 1 and 4, space X is in line with the aligned openings 38 in the side walls 16. Each of the roll assemblies include angularly formed top plates 56 and bottom plates 58 and a substantially squared C-shape spacer 60 there between all held together by means of bolts 62. The spacer is longer than the top and bottom plates so that its parallel legs 64 project from the roll assemblies and fit slidably into the longitudinal grooves 36in the side walls of the housing. The top and bottom plates of each assembly are provided with aligned cut-out portions 66 in the edge adjacent the space X. A roll neck bearing housing or box 68 having a bearing 70 therein is fitted into the cut-out portions of each top and bottom plate to support'the roll necks 72 of a pair of relatively small diameter works rolls 74 and 74'. Thrust bearings 76 are also provided in the housings 68 to absorb the end thrust forces during rolling. The work rolls are oppositely positioned astride the space X with their.

axes vertically normal to the the strip W moves.

The work rolls 74 and 74' are provided with a plurality of spaced circumferential grooves78 which when aligned form passes for the moving strip W. The roll neck bearing housing designated 68 has an integral externally threaded end projection 80 with a Worm gear 82 fitted therearound with its bore threaded to operate in conjunction with projection 80. A worm drive 84 is operatively engaged with the gear 82. A shaft 86 is fitted into the to pass throughthe bracket 46 in the bottom of the housing and through the opening 44 in the end plate 40 horizontal plane in which worm drive at one end and extends therefrom for turning the worm drive and worm gear for adjusting work roll 74' vertically to align the circumferential grooves 78 in the rolls. A collar 88 is fitted around the shaft 86 adjacent the inner surface of the plate 40 and the portion of the shaft projecting from the opposite surface of the plate has a diameter greater than that of the opening 44 to prevent longitudinal movement of the shaft. A bushing 90 is fitted into the opening 44 to facilitate smooth rotation of the shaft. The projecting free end of the shaft 86 is formed in the shape of a knurled wheel 92 so that the shaft may be readily rotated.

The top and bottom platesof each assembly have a pair of aligned openings 94 therethrough, one on each side of the cutout portion 66. A pair of ball bearing type back'up rolls 96 of relatively large diameter are mounted in each of the roll assemblies withthe ends of the non-rotatable shafts 98 thereof fitted into the aligned openings 94 parallel to the axes of the work rolls 74 and 74. The back-up rolls in each assembly are in peripheral contact with the work roll therein. The back-up rolls 96 are each made up of a pair of ball bearings 100 mounted on a common stationary shaft 98. The inner race portion 102 of each of the bearings is pressed on, or otherwise fixedly mounted around, the shaft 98. The outer race portion 104 of each bearing rotates on the bearing balls 106 which are interposed in the conventional manner between the inner and outer race portions. Although it is possible to use a single ball bearing of greater width on each shaft I have found it preferable to use two narrow width bearings as shown in order to minimize the possibility of disarrangement due to uneven wear. It will be noted that other forms of anti-friction type bearings may be used if desired. Conventional grease fittings 108 and grease feed lines 110 may be provided for lubrication purposes.

Clamps 112 and 114 hold the work roll assemblies in place. The clamp in each assembly is detachably connected at one end to the top plate 56 by means of a thumb screw 116 while the other end is detachably mounted on the roll neck bearing housing in the top plate by means of a screw 113. Each clamp is pivotally attached at a point intermediate its ends to the top plate 56 by means of a stud bolt 120. With this arrangement the work rolls may be easily removed by loosening the screws 116 and 118 and turning the clamp about the stud bolt 120. Each of the clamps is slotted at its outer end as at 122 so as to permit rotation of the clamp without the necessity of completely removing the thumb screw 116. It is necessary only to loosen the thumb screw 116 and move the clamp out from engagement therewith.

Means are provided for moving the roll assembly 54 relative to the assembly 52 so as to vary the space X be tween the work rolls 74 and 74 to adjust for the size of the strip being edge rolled. This means includes an adjusting screw 124 which is operatively attached at one end to the outer, end of the roll assembly 54 by means of a bracket 126 and two pairs of stud bolts 128 which hold the bracket in connection with top and bottom plates of the roll assembly 54. The other end of the screw passes through the threaded opening 50 in end plate 42. The screw has a hand wheel 130 attached to its projecting end so that it may be readily turned manually. The wheel 130 is rotated to increase or decrease the space X between the work rolls to accommodate strips of various widths. A disc 132 having measuring indicia thereon may be circumferentially disposed around the portion of the screw 124 outside of the end plate 42 and a cooperat' ing indicating point 134 may be attached to the outer surface of the end plate 42 so that the space X may be adjusted more accurately.

In operation the edge rolling apparatus of my invention is installed on the table of a surface rolling mill, not shown, adjacent the entrance end thereof with the aligned openings 38 in line with the proper pass of the surface rolling mill. When the pass of the surface rolling mill is changed the edge rolling apparatus may be shifted to the new pass by merely turning the hand screw 26 so as to move the housing 12 laterally to the desired position. When the housing 12 is properly set in position in line with the pass of the surface rolling mill, the proper amount of reduction desired to be taken in adjusted by turning the hand wheel 130 to increase or decrease the roll pressure on the edges of the strip. The roll neck bearing housings 68 and 68 fit slightly loosely in the cut-out portions 66 so that the works rolls are free to center themselves between the back-up hearings to distribute pressures equally. The lower roll neck bearing housing 68, as shown on the right in Figure 2, is provided with integral laterally extending lugs which fit slidingly in grooves 69 which are provided in the Walls of the lower cut-out portion 66 of plate 58. This arrangement aids in preventing vertical displacement of the work roll 74; The cluster type arrangement allows for the back-up bearings to take rolling pressure plus force in the direction of travel of the strip required to pull the strip through the work rolls. The worm gear 82, worm drive 84 and shaft 86 provide means for ad justing the work roll 74' relative to roll 74 to accurately align the circumferential grooves 78. The grooves are shaped in accordance with the edge shape desired.

Drainage holes, not shown, are provided in the bottom of the housing for run-oif of sludge, oil, grease accumulations, etc., from the strip being rolled and from the bearing lubricants.

While one embodiment of my invention has been shown and described it will be apparent that other adaptations and modifications may be made without dcparting from the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for edge rolling a strip advancing in a horizontal plane comprising a housing disposed in the pathway of said advancing strip, said housing having aligned openings through two sides thereof for the passage of said strip, a pair of oppositely disposed roll assemblies within said housing positioned with a space therebetween aligned with said openings in the sides of said housing, each of said roll assemblies including top andbottom plates with a spacer therebetween, the top.

and bottom plates of the assemblies each having aligned cut-out portions in the edge adjacent the other assembly, a Work roll of relatively small diameter having a neck at each end disposed vertically in each of said assemblies with its axis adjacent and normal to the pathway of the advancing strip, a bearing box having bearings therein at each end of each of said work rolls rotatively journaling the necks of said work rolls, said bearing boxes being received in said cut-out portions, the bearing box on the bottom end of one of said work rolls being received loosely in its respective cut-out portion for free axial movement, power multiplying means on the bottom of the roll assembly containing said one of said work rolls for moving the work roll therein axially, an elongated clamp member on each roll assembly extending from a detachable mounting on the top of the roll assembly at one end to a detachable connection on the upper roll neck bearing box at its other end, each of said detachable connections constituting an adjustable bearing means bearing against the upper roll neck bearing box axially of the work roll journaled therein for holding the upper roll neck bearing box in position in said cut-out portions, the adjustable bearing means on the clamp associated with said axially movable work roll limiting the axial movement of said last named roll in the direction away from said power multiplying means to thereby determine the position of said axially movable roll, each of said clamp members being pivotally connected to the top of a roll assembly at a point intermediate the ends of the clamp member, each of said Work rolls having a circumferential groove therearound constituting a pass for said advancing strip, a pair of relatively large diameter anti-friction bearing type back-up rolls in each of said roll assemblies disposed parallel to and in peripheral contact with the work roll in the assembly, each of said back-up rolls including a vertically disposed stationary shaft and at least one roller bearing surrounding said shaft intermediate its ends, said shaft having its ends supported in said housing, said roller bearing being disposed between the supported ends of said shaft and in peripheral engagement with one of said work rolls, said roller bearing having an inner sleeve and an outer sleeve, said outer sleeve bearing peripherally against one of said work rolls, and means for moving one of said roll assemblies relative to the other within said housing transversely of the path of travel of the strip to adjust the space between the work rolls.

2. Apparatus for edge rolling a strip as defined by claim 1 characterized by said housing having a bottom and two side walls extending vertically upward from said bottom, each of said side walls having a longitudinal groove on its inner surface extending along the length thereof, the top and bottom plates and spacer in each of said roll assemblies being fastened together, and said spacers projecting beyond the ends of said top and bottom plates and engaging the longitudinal grooves in the side walls of said housing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 287,008 Daniels Oct. 23, 1883 352,521 Daniels Nov. 16, 1886 1,009,937 Stuting Nov. 28, 1911 1,537,240 Lewis May 12, 1925 1,910,148 Buckwalter May 23, 1933 1,971,982 Holeton Aug. 28, 1934 1,981,078 Shover Nov. 20, 1934 2,010,211 Wood Aug. 6, 1935 2,047,509 Iversen July 14, 1936 2,195,502 Smitmans Apr. 2, 1940 2,353,289 Bennewitz July 11, 1944 2,353,290 Bennewitz July 11, 1944 

